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Updated balance mod


karadoc

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After a lot of tweaking and testing, I'm ready to upload a new version of my mod. It's basically just a balance mod. There's no new content or anything special like that. My goal is improve balance so that gameplay tactics are a bit more varied and interesting, and also so that the game is a bit more difficult.

 

This is the second version of the mod, and it's actually quite a lot different from the first. One of the core changes is that toxiguns no longer ignore disruptor shields. This is the main keystone change that I really wanted to do in the first version of the mod but couldn't do so at the time due to technical reasons... Anyway, as a result, I've been able to achieve a lot of the goals that I hoped to achieve the first time around. Previously the mod was basically just harder - but this time hopefully it will be more fun too!

 

The download link is here.

 

So please, download, play, and enjoy! And if you have any feedback, I'd like to hear it.

-

 

For a more detailed description, here is a copy-paste of some of the info in the txt file that comes with the mod:

 

Mod Overview

------------

 

My goals in making this mod were to make Apocalypse more balanced (particularly to reduce the power of toxin guns and disruptor shields). The balance changes are meant to increase the number of viable strategies in the game, so that it isn't just a matter of using the same equipment on every agent and the same tactics in every mission. The aim is for there to be a greater variety of interesting gameplay decisions, and for the game to be more challenging in general.

 

All of my play-testing was done on superhuman difficulty, using turn-based combat for every mission. I expect everything to work fine in real-time mode, but I couldn't say for sure.

 

The main change in this version of mod is that toxin guns no longer ignore disruptor shields. (This is a change that I've wanted to make for a long time, but but it was not technically possible for me when when I first started making the mod.) Toxin guns being blocked by disruptor shields is a massive balance change which will have many flow-on effects which called for further balance changes to other things which I'll discuss briefly a bit later.

 

In the previous version, I made a few changes to the tech tree. I haven't been completely satisfied with these changes, and so I've tweaked it a bit again. With the previous tech requirements I found that if I didn't remember exactly how the tech-tree worked I'd often research pretty much everything before unlocking any of the toxin-related techs. The problem was that it was easy to unknowingly neglect an obscure key tech. Unfortunately it is very difficult to choose good research requirements to solve this problem because there isn't a lot of freedom in the way the requirements can be modded. But I have tried to make the research a bit more flexible and intuitive. My goal is to make essentially all of the biology research useful, and to make the research progress in an intuitive way so that players don't have to memorise the tech tree to get to the toxins in a reasonable time.

 

The Alien Genetic Structure can be unlocked in multiple ways; which makes it far more likely that the player will get it. Biological Warfare requires researching the Multiworm Egg, which makes sense since Toxin A is supposedly meant to target aliens in the early stages of their life. Toxin B requires The Alien Lifecycle, and Brainsucker. The brainsucker requirement is not particularly intuitive, but I wanted to slightly increase the gap between Toxin A and Toxin B; and there is in-game advice which says that the Brainsucker should be "researched immediately" so I figured that's a good enough match for Toxin B.

 

Finally, Alien Gas is now unlocked much earlier - somewhere between Toxin B and Toxin C. There are two main reasons for this change. Firstly, I felt that in the original rules, gas was unlocked too late in the game to be useful. The aliens were already essentially defeated by the time it was enabled, and often it wasn't worth waiting time manufacturing the gas before the final mission. So I think by unlocking it sooner we might be able to at least have a bit of fun with it before the game ends. Secondly, since toxin guns no longer ignore disruptor shields the alien gas is going to be quite important. With these changes the gas will change the face of tactical combat and become an important part of X-Com's advancements in weaponry. Compare this advancement to Toxin C, which is significantly more powerful than Toxin B but does not change the way the game is played. By unlocking the gas earlier, there will be greater sense of progress, and there will be a bit more variety in gameplay. - Unfortunately, a side-effect of this change is that researching a life alien queen no longer has any benefit. I'd like for the Queen to be an alternative path to unlocking Toxin C, but there would be technical difficulties with that change.

 

 

Strategy Tips and Balance Comments

----------------------------------

 

Here are some tips that are relevant to some of the balance changes made in this mod:

 

- Since toxins are blocked by disruptor shields, players will need to use other methods of capturing functional shields from the aliens. The shields block all solid weapons and projectiles, including the stun grapple and the power sword. The easiest way to get the shields is to use stun-gas. So be sure to buy lots of stun grenades each week. Anti-alien gas also works well once you are able to manufacture it; and psionic mind control is also very effective for forcing the aliens to drop their shields so that you can pick them up. Disruptor shields are a bit easier to manufacture in this mod, but it's still best to just capture them from the aliens.

 

- Disruptor shields are very vulnerable to alien enzyme attacks. This means that spitters, hyperworms, and multiworms will continue to be a danger once you have disruptor shields. For example, a spitter will usually destroy a fully charged shield in just 2 hits. So beware!

 

- Similarly, disruptor shields are also vulnerable to plasma weapons. This means plasma guns are usually more useful than disruptor guns, and it means power sword continue to be viable after the aliens get shields. A power sword (being a plasma weapon) can easilly cut throw a full shield in 2 hits.

 

- Explosions also do a bit more damage to disruptor shields than they did previously. In general, the easiest way to deal with enemies who are using disruptor shields is to use explosives to break the shields, and then use toxiguns or devastator cannons to finish them off.

 

- To properly research a live alien, you'll first need to research a dead one. Because of this, it's usually a good idea to keep two of each kind of alien that you need to research. Doing an autopsy will consume an alien corpse, and if you don't any any corpses then a live alien will be used instead. All of the significant bio-research techs are unlocked by the research of live aliens.

 

- "The Alien Genetic Structure" is unlocked by researching any of the fully-formed humanoid aliens. "Biological Warfare" requires the genetic structure, and the research of a live egg.

 

- Anti-alien gas research requires toxin B, and research of a live Skeletoid and Micronoid. So try to get capture a live micronoid as soon as possible!

 

- Toxins A, B, and C are all listed as having "power = 80", but players should be aware that aliens in the later stages of their life-cycle have some resistance to the earlier toxins. For example, anthropods will take 50% damage from toxin A, 75% from B, and 100% from C; but alien eggs will take 100% from all three toxins.

 

- Anti-alien gas is roughly the same effectiveness of stun-gas (which is a lot weaker than it use to be). The main advantages of anti-alien gas compared to stun-gas are that your agents are unaffected by it, and you can manufacture it yourself. AG heavy launcher missiles are very effective for dealing with rooms full of aliens.

 

- The key alien UFOs to research to unlock X-Com ships are the Transporter, Destroyer, Bomber, and Battleship. So it's generally a good idea to focus on shooting down at least one of each of these ships the first time you see them. I'd like to make the tech tree for this a bit more flexible, but the changes I'd like aren't currently technically possible.

 

Some non-strategy related comments:

 

- The game is essentially won when X-Com has a powerful enough group of vehicles to destroy all the UFOs in the alien dimension. This is why I'd greatly increased the number of ships that the aliens produce each week - I wanted the game to be a struggle right up until the end. Unfortunately, it cuts both ways. I found that with the aliens producing so many ships, things worked pretty well except that sometimes the aliens would decide to do an "apocalypse mission" where they attack the X-Com bases directly with the ships; and it was just too difficult to stop them. I think it's a bit too harsh to suddenly be completely eliminated from the game in that way and have to start over. So... this is a difficult balance issue. I feel that it can't really be solved by just tweaking the raw numbers of how many ships are produced; and so unfortunately I don't think I can fix this to my satisfaction. I've just tried to do the best I can.

 

- Personal teleporters are still a bit of a problem in terms of balance. The problem as I see it is that the aliens simply don't know how to make good use of them, and to the human player they are extremely powerful. Not only are they powerful, but they are worth a lot of money... So really when then aliens start bringing these things, it's like a gift to the human player. Also, although the teleporters are kind of cool I find them a bit tedious to use when I want to get the maximum benefit out of them. I have to go into the agents inventory to swap out the cloaking device, then teleport, then swap the cloaking device back in again. It's a bit of a chore. There isn't really much I could do about these things so I've basically just left it all unchanged. The way I see it is that once you have those teleporters, the game is almost over anyway, and so they can basically be treated as a kind of toy rather than an important part of the game.

 

- I found that AG mini-launcher missiles weren't very useful. I probably should have buffed them a bit but don't want to have to test new changes right now.

 

- - -

 

Changelog

---------

 

v0.91

 

Here's a rough list of some of the technical changes in the version relative to the previous version. (The list is incomplete, because it's somewhat tedious to keep track of changes with this kind of modding, and so I didn't bother. Sorry.)

 

Research:

- Changed requirements for "The Alien Genetic Structure" to Anthropod / Spitter / Skeletoid. (ie. any of the three main fully grown aliens)

- Changed requirements for "Toxin B" to Biological Warfare + Brainsucker.

- Changed requirements for "Alien Gas" to Toxin B + Skeletoid + Micronoid.

- (The requirements for "Biological Warfare" are The Alien Genetic Structure + Multiworm Egg. unchanged from v0.9)

- Adjusted the skill-hours cost of some techs.

 

Units:

- Increased reactions of spitters and hyperworms.

 

UFOs:

- Reduced the creation rate of alien ships back closer to the original levels.

- Adjusted some of the maximums for ships in the alien dimension.

- Adjusted some of the alien UFO missions

 

Equipment:

- Anti-alien toxins are now blocked by disruptor shields. (!)

- Reduced the effectiveness of anti-alien gas (This is to counter-balance the fact that it is available sooner.)

- Slightly reduced the power of stun gas.

- Greatly increased the power of anti-alien toxins (relative to the previous version of this mod); and increased their accuracy; clip size; and rate of fire. - Adjusted the cost & time of manufacturing anti-alien weapons (all toxins and gas)

- Reduced the manufacturing time of personal disruptor shields from 18000 to 12000. (I want manufacturing the shields to be more viable, because it's now much harder to get them from tactical missions.)

- Valkyrie Interceptor price reduced from 75000 to 65000

- Hawk Air Warrior price reduced from 100000 to 85000

- Laser pods now have 20 rounds instead of 30 rounds.

- Laser accuracy up from 98 to 100.

- Stun grapple accuracy increased from 75 to 80.

- Devastator Cannon weight increased from 8 to 10.

- Dimension Missile weight decreased from 4 to 3.

- Toxigun weight decreased from 5 to 4.

- Ammunition for several different vehicle weapons has been made cheaper, and some vehicles have been made less abundant. (The point of this was to reduce the effectiveness of a particular exploit – I failed to find a way to remove the exploit completely.)

 

- - -

 

v0.90 (These changes are from the previous version of the mod, and so this list is mostly obsolete now.)

 

Research:

- Most research takes longer

- The bio tech tree has been changed

- autopsies are required before live alien research (except in special cases)

- The requirements for "The Alien Genetic Structure" are Anthropod, Spitter, and Brainsucker.

- The requirements for "Biological Warfare" are The Alien Genetic Structure and Multiworm Egg.

- (Other bio requirements have not been changed as far as I remember)

- The Retaliator research now requires UFO type 7 (bomber) instead of type 6 (assault ship)

 

Units:

- Most aliens and hostile humans are more powerful

- There will be a greater number of alien ships constructed each week

- Some alien missions will bring more ships

- More aliens will be deposited by alien ships

 

Equipment:

- Toxin guns are much less powerful (much less damage and lower firing rate) and harder to acquire (more expensive, longer to research)

- Disruptor shields are now extremely vulnerable to entropy enzyme attacks, and they are somewhat vulnerable to plasma attacks and explosions. They are also slightly heavier, so that it is less attractive to carry two of them. Watch out for aliens with entropy launchers! Hyperworms now do entropy damage to take advantage of the weakness in the disruptor shields, and spitters are also particularly more dangerous.

- Laser rifles are more accurate

- Valkyrie Interceptors are a bit stronger

- Entropy launches and dimension missile launches fire more rapidly

- Disruptor armour is a bit less powerful

- High explosives are lighter, so that they might actually be useful.

- ... other minor changes like that

- Some equipment costs have been changed (particularly hoverbikes and xcom produced equipment)

- Most building maintenance costs have been increased

- Government funding to XCOM has been slightly increased to absorb some of the equipment cost increases. (The goal of the cost increases was to rebalance rather than to make money tighter)

 

 

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  • 11 months later...

I've essentially just done two playthrough - and in one of them I was still making changes while playing.

 

For me, I think the changes worked pretty well. I do think they make the game more fun. I think the best thing is remains viable to have different weapon combinations even as more things are researched. The main thing that motivated me to make a mod in the first place was that toxiguns were so powerful and easy to get that it just wasn't worth bothering with anything else. But now they are blocked by shields, and some weapons are more effective against shields, it isn't a bad idea to use a variety of weapons; and it's much harder to keep a good suply on shields up on ones own agents.

 

Before uploading the mod, I made a few notes in the readme about how I thought the balance changes affected gameplay. But it's kind of hard for me to really tell how well balanced it is because I tend to use roughly the same kinds of tactics each time I play. I haven't played at all for quite awhile now, so my memory is a bit rusty. I don't realy have much to say about it other than what's already in the readme.

 

I'm intending to play again some time and perhaps do some more rebalancing after incorporating this change, but I can't really say when that will happen. I just have to wait until the time feels right...

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Thanks for the reply. I noticed that thread with the problem you mentioned, but since I play in real-time mode (heresy, I know rolleyes.gif) it fortunately hasn't ruined any games for me.

 

With luck and some time, I'll be able to modify apoc'd to give a human readable export on what the normal and modified .exe files look like. That'll make it easier for me to assess exactly what has changed with the many different mods that are out there. I still need to think through the changes in this mod where the toxiguns and tech tree has been altered enough to change the mid to end game play. I do like the intent of the changes, where it makes the game enjoyable until the end instead of getting to the point where nearly every encounter is a push-over.

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